A new poll commissioned by Black Entertainment Television (BET) founder Bob Johnson and conducted by Zogby shows that 55 percent of African-American adults do not agree with the LGBT community's claim that gay rights are the same as civil rights, CNSNews.com reports. In contrast, 28 percent said no when asked if equal rights for gays were the same as equal rights for African-Americans. "There weren't any real surprises," Johnson said when asked what findings surprised him the most. "On the issue of gay rights, African-Americans are far more conservative on that issue than I think the general population, so that wasn't a surprise." However, respondents were basically split on the issue of gay marriage. When asked, "Do you believe marriage should be restricted to between a man and a woman or do you believe that persons of the same sex should be allowed to marry and receive similar benefits as heterosexual couples?" 42 percent said marriage said should be between a man and a woman while 40 percent said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry with benefits. Respondents were also asked, "Do you believe ministers who oppose homosexuality, including the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, are right, wrong or no opinion?" Thirty-five percent had no opinion, but 34 percent said ministers were right to oppose homosexuality and gay marriage, and 31 percent said ministers were wrong.
